ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. snap — to click
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bass — the fish
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bass — low music
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. branch — a division

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com